The Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus in the Mopani District Municipality calls for the immediate development and implementation of an audit action plan to address the weak internal controls that have long plagued the municipality. Additionally, we demand urgent action and consequence management regarding incidents of duplicate payments and payments made for incomplete projects. This follows the release of the 2023/2024 Auditor-General’s Report.
Until there is a marked and sustained improvement in audit outcomes, the communities under the Mopani District will continue to suffer from poor service delivery and limited prospects for economic growth and development.
Over the past decade, the Mopani District Municipality has struggled with poor audit outcomes, including two disclaimers and two adverse reports. More recently, the audit reports have remained stagnant, showing no material improvement, as evidenced by the 2023/2024 Auditor-General’s Report.
A study into the poor and stagnant audit outcomes of Mopani pointed starkly to a lack of political will.
The current audit opinion exposes serious shortcomings within the ANC-led administration, particularly weak internal control systems and a continued failure to curb fruitless and wasteful expenditure, which amounted to R63.7 million for the year under review.
These poor audit outcomes directly affect the quality of services provided to residents and hinder economic growth in the region:
- Wasteful and fruitless expenditure diverts funds away from essential services.
- Delays in capital projects negatively impact service delivery.
- A lack of accountability worsens inefficiencies within the municipality.
- Reliable municipal service delivery is a prerequisite for investment, growth, and development.
The DA will maintain strict oversight to ensure that the audit action plan is implemented. Our primary goal remains ensuring that the residents of Mopani District receive improved water and sanitation services, as well as the economic growth and development they deserve.
The people of Mopani District deserve better. The DA will continue to fight for clean governance, transparency, and accountability.
Good governance begins with ethical political leadership.